Hot of the press...

Hot off the Press.....Launch of Equality Advisory and Support Service announced
The Government has confirmed that it is commissioning an Equality Advisory and Support Service to provide telephone-based and face-to-face support to individuals experiencing discrimination.

Empire welcome all feedback and comments. Please visit our facebook page where we regularly hold discussions relating to the topics covered in our blog posts.  


If you have found this post interesting please use the "Share" buttons below to tell your online community about it, there's a good chance they will find it interesting too. Thank you.

You can also follow Empire on Facebook - please click here

Key Employment Legislation : what you need to be aware of in 2012

Let's just get down to it. Here are key Employment Legislation that you need to be aware of in 2012


1. The qualifying period for unfair dismissal protection increases
The biggest change to employment rights in 2012 will be the increase of the qualifying period for an employee to bring an unfair dismissal claim, which will double from one year to two years. The change will take effect on 6 April 2012. The increase in the qualifying period is intended to give employers and employees more time to resolve any difficulties and reduce the number of unfair dismissal claims.

2. Pensions auto-enrolment begins
From 1 October 2012, new pension rules will begin to be phased in, requiring employers to enrol all eligible employees automatically and make compulsory employer contributions into a qualifying workplace pension scheme or the National Employment Savings Trust (Nest). The first wave of employers will be able to voluntarily start auto-enrolment as early as July 2012, and the legal requirement to enrol will be gradually rolled out between October 2012 and April 2017, starting with businesses with more than 120,000 employees

3. Changes to the employment tribunal procedure
The Government has announced a review of the Employment Tribunal Rules of Procedure, with significant changes expected to be introduced on 6 April 2012. Employment judges will hear unfair dismissal cases alone in the tribunal, unless they direct otherwise. The maximum amount of a deposit order, which a tribunal can order a party to pay as a condition to continuing with tribunal proceedings, will increase from £500 to £1,000. The maximum amount of a costs order, which a tribunal may award in favour of a legally represented party, will increase from £10,000 to £20,000.

4. Tribunal Fines
A proposal is being made to fine employers up to £5,000 (on top of damages) if they lose a tribunal case. The fine will be payable to the Exchequer and will be 50 per cent of the tribunal award, subject to a minimum of £100 and a maximum of £5,000. The proposed fine would not apply to employees, so it may be perceived as a revenue raising exercise, however, it could mean that even more cases are settled rather than going to a full hearing.

5. Statutory redundancy payments and guarantee payments increase
The maximum amount of a week’s pay used to calculate a statutory redundancy payment, and the basic and additional awards for unfair dismissal, increases from £400 to £430 on 1 February 2012. The maximum unfair dismissal compensatory award increases to £72,300; with the limit on the amount of a guarantee payment payable to an employee in respect of any day also increases from £22.20 to £23.50.

6. Maternity, paternity, adoption and sick pay increases
The Government has confirmed that the standard rate of statutory maternity, paternity and adoption pay will increase from £128.73 to £135.45 per week from 1 April 2012. Statutory sick pay will increase from £81.60 to £85.85 per week from 6 April 2012.

7. Watch this space...
With consultations taking place for the introduction of employment tribunal fees, plans for the introduction of “protected conversations”, and calls for evidence over whether or not the law on TUPE and collective redundancy consultation should be amended, there will be a significant number of legal developments in the pipe- line this year. The Government has also announced that it will consult on reforming the law on employment disputes and removing the third-party harassment provisions of the Equality Act 2010, alongside a proposal to amend the existing Working Time legislation around carrying over holiday entitlement.


Has or will your business be affected by these issues? Empire welcome all feedback and comments. Please visit our facebook page where we regularly hold discussions relating to the topics covered in our blog posts.

If you have found this post interesting please use the "Share" buttons below to tell your online community about it, there's a good chance they will find it interesting too. Thank you.
 

You can also follow Empire on Facebook - please click here

NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS

It’s that time of year again, when some people resolve to start the year with a new sense of purpose. However, as time goes by, resolutions often fall by the wayside and we submit to the pull of the comfortable and familiar. Businesses should be no different.

January brings with it an opportunity for you to look back at the previous 12 months acknowledging your achievements and addressing opportunities. Use the time wisely to plan for 2012, reviewing and setting objectives for the coming year and to help you kick-start the process, here are some areas that you may want to consider:

Policies and Procedures
When were yours last updated? With never ending employment legislation coming through, your requirements may have changed and your policies should be reviewed on a regular basis. Do any of the recent changes affect you? Do you have a policy in place to cover the new legislation? Now is the time to review them.

Social Media
It’s everywhere, and as much as some of us may want to ignore it, you can’t overlook the potential impact on your business. For example, the more content you have on your Facebook page, the more likely you are to appear on top of search results. Is your company getting the maximum benefits from social media? What are your employees saying about your company via social media? Do you have a policy regarding the use of social media? Do you monitor social media to see what is being posted about the company? What liabilities need to be considered? This area continually evolves on a phenomenal basis and you may choose to ignore it at your peril....

Workplace Harassment
This past year seemed to bring a rise in Workplace Harassment issues with companies seeing an increase in harassment and discrimination complaints. Whether your company experienced this or not, it is important to evaluate whether you are in a position to deal with any potential issues that arise. Do you have a Harassment policy? When was it last updated? Has it been communicated to employees recently? When was the training conducted? So many companies think that these issues don’t happen to them, until they do. Taking positive steps will raise awareness amongst your employees and foster a positive work environment.

Training and Development
What does your training budget look like for next year? For many businesses, this is one of the first areas to be cut. As the economy stabilises, employees may be more inclined to change jobs. What are you doing to retain your talent? And with all the employment legislation coming through, are your managers prepared to deal with it confidently? There has never been a more important time to show your commitment to employees, by offering opportunities for learning and growth, before they head out the door.

Recognition 
While the past few years have been tough on business, it has also been tough on employees, with more being asked of them as businesses have tightened their belts. How have you shown that you recognise and appreciate your employees? Budgets may still be tight but the New Year may be an opportunity to get creative by showing them how much they are valued.


HR Audit
Whatever you decide, identifying a strategic plan for the year ahead, or conducting a full HR Audit (something we can help you with), could help to ensure that some or all of your resolutions are met. Either way, it could be a New Year and a clean slate.

Finally, here is one New Year’s resolution that Empire will be able to make and keep: we will commit to providing the high-level level of support and advice to our clients throughout 2012, so should you require help with updating your policies and procedures, need advice on specific issues or assistance in the areas of Training or Health & Safety, do get in touch.

What New Year resolutions has your business undertaken this year? How important do you think the issues that we have outlined are to your business? Empire welcome all feedback and comments. Please visit our facebook page where we regularly hold discussions relating to the topics covered in our blog posts.
 
If you have found this post interesting please use the "Share" buttons below to tell your online community about it, there's a good chance they will find it interesting too. Thank you.
 

You can also follow Empire on Facebook - please click here